Turnable wheeled skate

ABSTRACT

A wheeled skate that includes a skate frame and a plurality of wheels disposed along that frame. A turnable wheel assembly is provided that includes two paired wheels, each supported by a movable axle. The turnable wheel assembly is preferably configured such that the paired wheels maintain a parallel relationship and a fixed distance from one another as the skate moves between varying degrees of turning. This configuration permits the paired wheels to be positioned close together. The axles may be supported by movable support members that move in parallel planes. Various embodiments are disclosed including the incorporation of two turnable paired-wheel assemblies in one skate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/347,506, filed Jan. 17, 2003, and having the same title andinventor as above.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wheeled skates, in-line skates, andother wheeled devices that couple to a person's feet. More specifically,the present invention relates to enhancing the turnability of a wheeledskate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art is replete with wheeled devices that couple to a user'sfeet. These include conventional roller skates, in-line skates, andwheeled devices for cross-country ski training, among others. Exemplaryprior art devices include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,425,586;5,997,015; 5,401,040; 4,659,095; 4,138,127; and 3,442,523; among others.

Most of the devices disclosed in these patents utilize a fixed positionwheel arrangement that provides either no or very limited turnability.To execute a turn, a user typically lifts one skate over the other andplaces the raised skate down at an angle to the first. The position ofthe raised skate when once again placed on the ground constitutes thenew line of direction. To execute a sharper turn, a user may lift his orher skate several times making small incremental turns each time.

One attempt to increase the turnability of a wheeled skate is disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,523. The '523 patent discloses a conventionalroller skate having two pairs of wheels. Each pair of wheels has a wheelmount assembly including an angled shaft and an axle that is common tothe paired wheels. Leaning the skate from side causes the skate “shoe”portion to rotate about the wheel assembly shafts which in turn causeseach common axle and the paired wheels attached thereto to rotatesubstantially in the horizontal plane, thereby causing the skate toexperience enhanced turning.

Among other disadvantageous aspects of this arrangement, there is littleclearance between the skate base or frame and the top of wheels. If auser tries to more aggressively turn the skate, the skate base comes incontact with the wheels, impeding wheel rotation, slowing or evenstopping the skate, and potentially causing a damaging fall. Thus, thedevice of the '523 patent is both limited in turnability and potentiallydangerous.

Other turnable prior art wheeled skate devices are known. Many of these,however, are disadvantageously long having wheels or a frame structurethat extends beyond the shoe region, and some are disadvantageouslyunstable, due to a single wheel design or other limitations.

A need thus exists for a wheeled skate device that provides enhancedturnability. Needs also exist for such a wheeled skate device that isrelatively compact, lightweight and/or has good stability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is intended to overcome shortcomings of the priorart and positively contribute to the wheeled skate art. Among otheraspects, the present invention provides a turnable skate with enhancedstability.

In one aspect, the present invention includes a turnable skate devicehaving a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly. At least one ofthe front wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly is a turnablewheel assembly, and a turnable wheel assembly may include: a first wheelsupported by a first axle and a second wheel supported by a second axle.In straight forward travel, the first and second axles may have asubstantially colinear relationship and during a turn, the first andsecond axles may achieve a non-colinear relationship.

In another aspect, the present invention includes a turnable wheeledskate have wheels in a turnable wheel assembly that are physicallyseparated, though linked through movable arms.

The attainment of the foregoing and related advantages and features ofthe invention should be more readily apparent to those skilled in theart, after review of the following more detailed description of theinvention taken together with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a skate in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the skate of FIG. 1 without the shoe.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the rear wheel assembly (with one wheel removedfor clarity) of the skate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an underside view of the skate of FIG. 1 in a turningposition.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a skate having a braking mechanism inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a skate having two turnable wheelarrangements in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a skate having a motor in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a wheeled skate inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 9-10 are exploded and non-exploded perspective views of a turnablewheeled assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 11-12 are a bottom and side view of the skate of FIG. 8 making aright turn in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of a skate with front and rearturnable wheel assemblies in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of another turnable wheel assemblyin accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 15-16 are a perspective view and a side view (partially cut-away)of one embodiment of a wheeled skate braking mechanism in accordancewith the present invention are shown.

FIGS. 17-18 are two perspective views of other wheeled skate brakingmechanisms in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of one embodiment of a skate 5in accordance with the present invention is shown. Skate 5 may have ashoe 8 or other foot receiving device (straps, Velcro®, laces, etc.)that is mounted to a supportive base 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of skate 5 without shoe 8.

Base 10 has a shoe or like device mounting region 12. A front wheelarrangement 20 is provided forward of mounting region 12 and a rearwheel assembly 30 is provided rearward of mounting region 12. Rear wheelassembly 30 as shown is turned slightly. The mounting region ispreferably provided in a plane that is substantially parallel to theground, though the base may rise upward toward the rear or have otherconfigurations without departing from the present invention. In theembodiment of FIGS. 1-2, two integrally formed forks 15 extend frommounting region 12 to receive a front wheel 22. Note that otherconfigurations for mounting a front wheel may be utilized.

Referring to FIG. 3, a side view of the rear wheel assembly (with onewheel removed for clarity) 30 is provided. Rear wheel assembly 30 may bemounted to base 10 via an extender 18 which serves to position wheelassembly 30 rearward of shoe 8 and mounting region 12. The extender maybe mounted to base 10 via screws or weld or be formed together with thebase as one integral piece. Rear wheel assembly 30 of the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-7, preferably has two wheels 32 (only one of which is shown inFIG. 3). By providing wheel assemblies 20,30 forward and rearward of thebase, respectively, the overall height of the skate may be reducedrelative to conventional roller skates.

Suitable wheels 22,32 for the front and rear assemblies 20,30 asillustrated in FIG. 1-7 are commercially available 4″ wheels. It shouldbe recognized that larger wheels tend to afford a smoother ride. Thuslarger wheels, from 4″ up to a foot or more may be used. Wheels smallerthan 4″ may also be used without departing from the present invention,as may wheels of different sizes. A trade-off may occur between a smoothride and ease-of-portability. Smaller wheels, for example, approximately6″ or 7″ or less may permit a skate to be more readily placed andcarried in a day-pack or other similarly sized bag or pack.

Extender 18 includes a cylindrical opening 19. Axle mounting member 34also has a cylindrical or like opening 31. Mounting shaft (or screw) 36is provided through openings 19 and 31 and effectively mounts wheelassembly 30 to extender 18. An axle 38 is provided in member 34 which iscoupled to and supports rear wheels 32.

A change in vertical angle of the skate in a plane perpendicular to theline-of-direction causes shaft 36 to rotate. Since shaft 36 is providedat an angle, α, from horizontal, rotation of the shaft causes a rotationof axle 38 relative to the line-of-direction which causes a rotation ofthe attached wheels 32, thus turning the skate. The greater the changein vertical angle of the shoe, the greater the turning provided by theskate. The angle, α, of shaft 36 may be set by trial and error to anyangle that achieves a desired amount of turning. This angle may bebetween 10 and 20 degrees or between 5 and 30 degrees or other. If twoturnable wheel assemblies are used (as shown in FIG. 6), then the angleof each shaft may be reduced. If more acute turning is desired, theshaft angle may be increased.

FIG. 3 also illustrates a vertical heel-line 61, a rearward extendinghorizontal toe-line 62 and a base-line 63. The vertical heel-line 61 isintended to be a line running vertically downward from the interiorsurface of the shoe that the contacts the back of a user's heel 9 inuse. FIG. 3 illustrates that axle 38 is rearward of the verticalheel-line 61. The rearward extending horizontal toe-line 62 is a linerunning substantially horizontally from the interior surface thatreceives a user's big toe in use. The base-line 63 is a line extendingsubstantially horizontally from the top of base 10. In determiningbase-line, a shoe heel or equivalent structures (for example, theplastic or like forms used in newer skates) are not part of the base.FIG. 3 shows that the top 33 of wheel 32 is above the horizontaltow-line 62 and base-line 63.

FIG. 4 illustrates an underside view of skate 5 (without shoe 8) in aturning position. Note that wheels 32 are also slightly turned inFIG. 1. FIG. 4 illustrates that axle mounting member 34 supports a pin41 that is received in a groove 42 in extender 18. Pin 41 limits therange of rotation of the wheel assembly around shaft 36, thus assuringthat when the skate is placed down the wheels contact the ground in aproper position for rolling. FIG. 4 also shows the bottom side of thebraking mechanism discussed with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7.

Referring to FIG. 5, a side view of skate 5 having a braking mechanism50 in accordance with the present invention is shown. Braking mechanism50 includes a support member 51 that fits over axle mounting member 34and a brake pad 52. A cable 54 is attached to brake pad 52 via stopper55 and runs through the interior of shaft 36 (also shown in FIG. 3)which is formed as a hollow cylinder. A bias mechanism such as coilsprings or foam rubber or the like 58 (shown in FIG. 4) is provided in arecess in support member 51 and biases brake pad 52 off of wheels 32.

The opposite end of cable 54 is attached to a handle or like activationdevice 60. This handle may attach to the waist of a user or to theirhands via wrist guards or the like. To activate, the user pulls thetrigger 64 towards the stay 65 (in the direction of arrows A) whichcauses cable 54 to pull pad 52 into contact with wheels 32, therebybraking the skate. Note that other braking scenarios could beimplemented on a skate in accordance with the present invention,including but not limited to braking arrangements with activationhandles located on the skate.

Referring to FIG. 6, a perspective view of a skate 5 having two turnablewheel assemblies in accordance with the present invention is shown.Front wheel assembly 130 includes an extender 118 and paired wheels 122that are similar to extender 18 and rear wheels 32, respectively, Notethat the angle of the rotation shaft of wheel assembly 130 is preferablyopposite that of rotation shaft 36 such that wheels 122 turn in a mannercomplementary to wheels 32, enhancing skate turning. FIG. 6 shows thataxle 138 is forward of a vertical toe-line 161 that extends verticallyfrom the interior surface of shoe 8 in front of a user's big toe, andthe top 133 of wheel 122 is above a forward extending horizontaltoe-line 162 that extends from the interior surface of shoe 8 thatreceives a user's big toe.

It should be noted that while FIG. 1 illustrates a single wheel in thefront and paired wheels in the front, the wheel assemblies of FIG. 1could be reversed, i.e., the turning assembly being placed in front (asin FIG. 6) and a single wheel in the rear, without departing from thepresent invention. An embodiment having a single wheel in front and asingle wheel in the back with shaft and axle or like turning provided toone of said single wheels is also within the present invention.Furthermore, wheels may also be added beyond those shown in FIGS. 1-7without departing from the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a side view of a skate having a motor in accordancewith the present invention is shown. Skate 5 in FIG. 7 is similar toskate 5 as presented in FIG. 1, et al., though in the embodiment of FIG.7 the skate include a motor assembly 70. Motor assembly 70 may include afriction drive wheel 71, a drive-shaft or the like 72, a motor 74, abattery 75 and a housing 76. Housing 76 is slideably coupled to base 10and biased by spring 78 such that drive wheel 71 contacts front wheel22. Drive shaft 72 incorporates a miter gear, but any suitable drivemechanism (many of which are known) may be used. Motor 74 may be a DCelectric motor and battery 75 may be a nickel metal hydride battery,though any suitable motor or battery may be used. Housing 76, shown incross-section, includes a resealable panel that permits access the motorassembly components and particularly to battery 76 for changing.

The motor assembly is preferably configured, in one representativeembodiment, to function as follows. Motor 74 is configured to turn-onwhen wheel 22 is being turned at a speed above a threshold, for example,3 mph. The motor then runs at a given speed which is sufficient topropel a person (i.e., to operate under load) until battery 75 runs outof power or the motor is turned-off. Turn-off occurs when drive wheel 71runs above a threshold speed for a given period of time, for example,2-5 seconds. The turn-off conditions may occur when wheel 22 is liftedoff the ground (no longer under load) or cable 79 (similar to andpossibly coupled with brake cable 54) is pulled which compresses biasspring 78 and pulls drive wheel 71 off of front wheel 22 (therebyremoving the load from the drive wheel). Motor assemblies that turn-onat a given speed and turn-off at a given speed are known in the art.

FIG. 7 also shows fasteners 81 which bind shoe 8 to base 10, though glueand other fastening means may be used, and spring 58 (mentioned withreference to FIG. 5 that biases break pad 52 off of wheel 32).

Referring to FIG. 8, a perspective view of another embodiment of awheeled skate 105 in accordance with the present invention is shown.Skate 105 may include a shoe 108 and a frame or base structure (base)110. Shoe 108 may be as described above for shoe 8 of FIG. 1 or asotherwise appropriate. Base 110 may be as described above for base 10,though modified for a shorter wheel base of skate 105 and to accommodatea different wheel connection mechanism as discussed below.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the front wheel assembly 120 may includetwo axle support members 111,112 that are also part of base 110. Theaxle support members 111,112 are coupled to a shoe connecting region113, through which base 110 may be coupled to shoe 108. It should berecognized that base 110 may be formed of various materials (plastic,metal, etc.) and in a wide range of configurations. Characteristics ofthe base include that it is relatively lightweight and strong.

The front wheel assembly 120 may also include a first wheel 121 and asecond wheel 122, respectively coupled to axles 123,124, which are inturn supported by axle support members 111,112. Note that while twowheels 121,122 are shown, a single wheel or more than two wheels may beused. Suitable wheels and axles are known in the art. It should berecognized that other wheel and wheel support arrangements could be usedwithout departing from the present invention.

In contrast to the stationary or fixed wheel arrangement of wheelassembly 120, a turnable wheel assembly 140 having independent axles isprovided at the rear of skate 105 (in FIG. 8). This assembly providestilt or lean based turning. While this assembly is shown at the rear ofskate 105 in the embodiment of FIG. 8, it should be recognized that aturnable wheel assembly may be provided at other locations, includingbut not limited to, exclusively at the front of the skate or incombination with a rear located turnable wheel assembly (as shown inFIG. 13).

Referring to FIGS. 9-10, exploded and non-exploded perspective views ofa turnable wheeled assembly 140 in accordance with the present inventionare respectively shown. The turnable wheel assembly of FIGS. 9-10 mayinclude two wheels 141,142 (shown in FIGS. 8 and 10), that arerespectively mounted on two axles 143,144. The axles are eachrespectively connected to a movable arm 147,148, each having apositioning protrusion 151,152. The positioning protrusion eachrespectively support a bias member contact face 153,154 and a resistivecontact face 155,156. The movable arms are respectively connected topivot rods 161,162 that extend from mounting block 160. Note that whilea pivot rod-based arrangement is shown in FIGS. 9-10, the movableconnection of arms 147,148 to block 160 may be accomplished in many wayswithout departing from the present invention.

Block 160 includes a body 164 and extension 165. The extension 165supports a pair of bias members 167,168 that respectively receive biasmember contact faces 153,154 of movable arms 147,148.

Block 160 defines a cylindrical cavity 169 through which is positioned ashaft 171. A coupler 172 is provided at one end of shaft 171 and aresistance block 174 is provided at the other end of shaft 171. Block160 is preferably configured for rotation or pivotal movement aboutshaft 171. As block 160 rotates (as discussed in more detail below), thealignment of wheels 141,142 relative to the longitudinal axis of theskate is changed, causing the skate to turn.

As described in more detail below, turning (or changing the alignment ofwheels 141,142 relative to the base 110), is initiated by leaning to oneside or the other of the skate. At equilibrium, no lean, a user's weightis apportioned an approximately equal amount over both wheels. As a userleans, more weight is distributed on one wheel and less weight on theother. Since each wheel is coupled to pivot-mounted movable arms, themovable arms move (rotate) as the weight on the respective wheelschanges. Arms 147,148 are pushed to rotate downward by bias member167,168. The weight on the wheel resists this bias force and hence thewheel with less weight is pushed down further.

Since resistance block 174 is stationary, the change in the position ofmovable arms 147,148 causes the positioning protrusions 151,152 todescend to different depths relative to extension 155 and bias members167,168, causing or facilitating the rotation of block 160 around shaft171 and thereby changing the alignment of wheels 141,142 relative to thebase. Bias members 167,168 may be formed of rubber, natural orsynthetic, or another suitable material, including metallic springs andother biasing members.

Referring to FIGS. 11-12, a bottom and side view of skate 105 making aright turn in accordance with the present invention are respectivelyshown. With more weight on wheel 142 (the right wheel from an above,forward facing perspective), more force is exerted against bias member168 forcing protrusion 152 further into and below the bias member andthe resistance block 174. This is evident from the perspective of FIGS.11-12. Concomitantly, less weight is provided on wheel 141 producingless force against bias member 167 and less penetration of protrusion151 into and below bias member 167 and the resistance block.

Since the resistance block is fixed, block 160 rotates about shaft 171to compensate for the unequal pressure exerted by arms 147,148. Thegreater the amount of lean, the greater the amount of weight transferand turning about shaft 171. When a user lifts the skate off the ground,the weight differential is eliminated and the substantially equal forceof bias members 167,168 pushes each of the movable arms a substantiallyequal amount, which translates into positioning the movable arms atapproximately equal positions, effectively resetting the wheels andwheel assembly into alignment with the skate frame and hence a straightahead or non-turning relationship.

Leaning to the left achieves a similar effect, albeit with the wheels141,142 receiving forces generally opposite of those described above,and hence turning the opposite direction.

Referring to FIG. 13, a bottom perspective view of a skate 205 withfront and rear turnable wheel assemblies 280 and 240, respectively, inaccordance with the present invention is shown. Skate 205 achievesenhanced turning by providing turnable wheel assemblies at the front andrear of the skate.

The rear turnable wheel assembly 240 includes components and functionsin a manner substantially similar to rear turnable wheel assembly 140discussed with reference to FIG. 8-12. The front turnable wheel assemblyis substantially similar to turnable wheel assemblies 140,240, but ispositioned in the converse direction, i.e., wheels forward as opposed toreverse. The front assembly 280 functions, however, in substantially thesame manner. For example, leaning toward the right places more weight onwheel 282, causing protrusion 284 to put more force on biasing member286 and push extension 287 and the mounting block 290 in the directionthat turns the mounting block and affects a right hand turn of the wheelassembly 280. A lean to the left achieves a turn to the left insubstantially the same manner.

Referring to FIG. 14, a bottom perspective view of another turnablewheel assembly 340 in accordance with the present invention is shown.Wheel assembly 340 functions in a manner similar to wheel assemblies140,240. Wheels 341,342 are mounted on independent axles (obscured bythe wheels and movable arms, but similar to axles 143,144) that are inturn coupled to movable arms 347,348. These arms may be pivotablycoupled to block 360.

Similar to block 160, block 360 is rotatably coupled to shaft 371 whichhas a resistive rod 374 connected at a distal end. Positioningprotrusion 351,352 are respectively coupled to movable arms 347,348 andare biased into resistive rod 374. Bias members 367,368 respectivelybias the position protrusions 351,352 into the resistive rod (in amanner similar to that described above for operation of positionprotrusion 151,152 and resistive block 174). Bias members 367,368 may beformed of spring steel (or other suitable biasing material) and fastenedto block 360 via screws or another appropriate fastener 369.

Wheel assembly 340 achieves a right turn when a user leans to the rightand a left turn when a user leans to the left, using the same physics asdescribed above for the turning assemblies of FIGS. 8-13.

The embodiment of FIG. 14 illustrates, among other features, that theindependent axle turnable wheel assembly of the present invention may beconstructed using differently shaped and sized components. The materialscan also be modified while maintaining function.

Referring to FIGS. 15-16, a perspective view and a side view (partiallycut-away) of one embodiment of a wheeled skate braking mechanism 430 inaccordance with the present invention are shown. In the side view ofFIG. 16, movable arm 347 is removed so that the braking mechanism can bemore clearly seen.

While breaking mechanism 430 may be used with nearly all wheeled skates,it is described in FIGS. 15-16 as being mounted on a wheeled skate 405that is similar to wheeled skates 105,205 of FIGS. 8-12. Skate 405 alsopreferably has a turnable wheel assembly 440 that is similar to turnablewheel assembly 140,240,340 of FIGS. 8-14. It should be recognized,however, that the braking mechanism of the present invention can also beused with non-turnable wheel assemblies.

Skate 405 may include a front wheel assembly 120 as taught withreference to FIGS. 8, 11 and 12 and a turnable rear wheel assembly 340as taught with reference to FIG. 14, though as potentially modified asdiscussed herein to accommodate the breaking mechanism.

Breaking mechanism 430 includes a mounting bracket 431 that pivotallymounts a first braking lever 432 to the pivotally mounted brake engagingmember 404. First braking member 432 may be pivotally coupled to frame433 in such a manner that the distal end of lever 432 is positionedadjacent the second braking lever 434. The second braking lever 434 ispivotally coupled by pivot 435 to a block extension 439, which ispreferably formed integrally with block 460. The distal end of secondbraking lever 434 preferably contains a stop pin or member 437 thatcontacts and thereby impedes rotation of wheel 341,342, effectivelybreaking the skate. A notch 438 may be provided in block 460 to permitthe braking mechanism to be positioned between block 460 and the wheels.Alternatively, the movable arms 347,348 could be made longer, etc., toaccommodate the braking mechanism.

In use, a user extends his or her foot forward causing his or her lowerleg to in turn move backwards (rotating backwards from the ankle). Thelower leg (upper Achilles' tendon region) contacts and pushes the brakeengaging member 404 backwards, thereby causing the first braking leverto pivot about frame 433 and exert pressure on second braking lever 434.This pressure causes the stop member 437, mounted through pivot 435, toexert pressure against wheels 341,342. This pressure is the brakingforce.

The components of the brake mechanism may be made of metal, plastic oranother suitable material. Many suitable materials are known in the art.The stop member 437 is preferably made of a metal material (because thewheels are likely made of rubber and metal is typically effective inimpeding rubber), but could be made of other materials, for example,hard plastics or rubbers, etc.

With respect to FIGS. 17-18, two perspective views of other wheeledskate braking mechanisms in accordance with the present invention areshown. Wheel braking mechanism 530 of FIG. 17 combines the first brakinglever 532 with the brake engaging member 504, eliminating mountingbracket 431 and frame 433. Wheel braking mechanism 630 of FIG. 18 issimilarly configured (eliminating mounting bracket 431 and frame 433),though the first and second braking levers 632,634 are shapeddifferently with the first braking lever configured in a ratherstreamlined manner that curves under the “shoe” portion of the skate andcontacts the second braking lever 634. The block 560,660, stop member537,637, pivots 535,635 and other components are substantially asdescribed elsewhere herein for similar components.

It should be recognized that other braking systems could be used withoutdeparting from the present invention, including all or part ofother-braking systems discussed herein.

It should also be recognized that the motorized drive mechanismdiscussed with reference to FIG. 7 and the like could be used with anyof the other embodiments disclosed herein, particularly those having atleast one fixed (i.e., “non-turnable” wheel).

Suitable materials for skate manufacture are known in the art.Nonetheless, for shoe manufacture they may include leather and plasticand other materials, and for base or support structure they may includemetals or plastics or other suitable materials (particularly materialswith similar properties, i.e., relatively lightweight and strong). Thewheels may be made of rubber, polyurethane or other suitable material.

While the invention has been described in connection with specificembodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of furthermodification, and this application is intended to cover any variations,uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, theprinciples of the invention and including such departures from thepresent disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the artto which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essentialfeatures hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scope of theinvention and the limits of the appended claims.

1. A turnable skate device, comprising: a base having a longitudinalaxis; a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly at least one ofsaid front wheel assembly and said second wheel assembly being aturnable wheel assembly, said turnable wheel assembly including: a firstwheel supported by a first axle; and a second wheel supported by asecond axle; wherein in straight forward travel said first and secondaxles have a substantially colinear relationship and during a turn saidfirst and second axles achieve a non-colinear relationship.